Leo jerked awake. The phone was ringing. Where was he? The office, at two in the morning. Great. He had fallen asleep on the couch while reading briefing books. It was an all too common occurrence these days. He debated whether to answer but he knew he would. Nobody would call at this time of the night if it wasn't important.

"Leo McGarry," he answered trying not to sound groggy.

"Mr McGarry. This is Detective Reagan with the DC Police. I'm afraid I have some bad news regarding a member of your staff."

Oh Lord. His heart beat faster as he encouraged the Detective to continue.

"There was a fire at Ms Cregg's home. Emergency services responded to a 911 call at 1.22am. They established that the occupant of the house was trapped inside. When they reached her she was non-responsive and wasn't breathing. Paramedics managed to revive her and she should be arriving by ambulance at GW around now. I'm sorry to tell you this sir, but her condition is critical."

Holy Hell. Claudia Jean. He was stunned.

"Any idea what caused the fire?"

"The fire-fighters are still working to put out the blaze but as soon as they give the go ahead there will be a full investigation. Early indications are suggesting that the fire was started deliberately. Is there anyone you know of sir, that would want to hurt Ms Cregg."

"This was arson?" Leo fumed into the phone. "You think someone deliberately set fire to the home of the White House Press Secretary? Detective I'm sending Secret Service to assist with this investigation and I will have them look through her mail and computer to establish who might have had a motive for this. I suggest you start checking any CCTV cameras. CJ made some remarks in a briefing yesterday that made quite a few people unhappy. I can't help but feel that this has something to do with her comments."

"Yes sir."

"I need to find out how she is. Keep me informed of any new developments. I don't need to tell you that this will get a lot of press attention. We can't have any leaks."

"Of course, Mr McGarry. The press will hear nothing of the investigation from us. I should warn you that there are already press setting up at the scene. We are keeping them well back but they know it is Ms Cregg's property that is on fire. You should expect this to break right about now if it hasn't already. "

After hanging up Leo immediately called Ron Butterfield. He instructed Ron to send a team of agents to CJ's house to investigate and also go through her correspondence to look for anyone who may have had a motive to do this. He also wanted the Secret Service to escort the rest of the senior staff to the White House. He needed to tell them what was going on and he also needed to make sure they weren't targeted as well.

Next he called GW and after being put on hold and shouting at some unfortunate nurses, he finally got a vague briefing on CJ's condition. She had minor burns to the arms and feet. More pressing was the smoke inhalation. They had sedated her and intubated her to protect her airway from swelling. However this meant that they would be unable to assess her for any brain damage that could have occurred while she was deprived of oxygen. Nobody knew how long she had stopped breathing for so the doctor had no idea how likely this scenario was. He told Leo that CJ was currently in a stable condition but that she would remain in ICU until they woke her which would not be for a couple of days.

Leo desperately wanted to go to the hospital. He felt sick at the thought of CJ lying in a hospital bed unconscious and alone. His blood boiled at the thought that someone had deliberately done this to her. But he had to remain at the White House to talk to senior staff and he also needed to tell the President. He called over to the residence and had a steward wake the President and First Lady and have them meet him in the Oval in ten minutes.

Senior Staff had arrived by the time the President and First Lady entered the Oval Office. Toby, Josh and Sam sat looking extremely dishevelled and confused. It wasn't the first time they had been dragged into work in the middle of the night but it was the first time they had been escorted to the White House by the Secret Service. Josh looked around the office as Leo began to speak. "Shouldn't we wait for CJ, Leo? You know she'll be pissed if she thinks she's being left out of the loop again."

Leo gave Josh a tortured look filled and continued to address the President.

"I'm sorry to wake you sir. I just received a phone call from a Detective Reagan from the DC Police. He had some bad news."

The President too had noticed his Press Secretaries conspicuous absence.

"CJ?"

"I'm afraid so, sir. There was a fire at her house. She's been rushed to GW hospital. The doctors have sedated her and intubated to protect her airway."

Abbey looked pale. She nodded to Leo that she understood the situation. She gripped the President's hand. Tell Ron I'm going to GW, Leo. You're all needed here. I'll go be with CJ."

"Abbey, we're not sure if it's safe."

"Why wouldn't it be safe Leo? Why were we brought here by the Secret Service? What is it you haven't told us yet?" Toby quizzed as he stood and started to pace the room.

"Detective Reagan suggested that the fire wasn't an accident. That CJ had been targeted and that this was an arson attack."

"My God." There was anger mixed with shock in the President's voice. "What evidence do they have Leo?"

They're still trying to put out the fire, Sir. It's is just conjecture at this point but the speed that the fire took hold of the building suggests that it wasn't an accident. Also the timing. CJ's briefing yesterday got a lot of attention."

"I'm going with the First Lady to the hospital." Toby announced.

"Toby the Press already have this. We need you here. We'll need to brief before the rumours get out of control and we don't have a Press Secretary."

"Leo, she's my oldest friend. I'm the reason she's here in the first place. I have to go see her. Sam can do the briefing. Somebody get Carol in here, we're going to need her. I'll help Sam with a statement over the phone."

"He should go. You too, Abbey. CJ is our priority right now, not the press."

"Go get your laptop Toby. We leave in five minutes."

"The rest of you, get to work. We need to know what the press already have so we can figure out how much to tell them." Leo tried to catch Josh's eye, worried about how this was affecting him but he avoided eye contact. Leo decided to give him time. He would call Donna and get her in early to keep an eye on Josh.

When the staff had left the First Lady turned to Leo. "Is there anything else you didn't mention about CJ's condition Leo? I need to be prepared when we get the hospital."

"Yes. She wasn't breathing when they found her, Abbey. They don't know how long she was out but the doctors are worried about brain damage."

He sighed heavily. It was the nightmare scenario. They had been lucky with Josh. They had suffered the loss of Mrs Landingham and now CJ was fighting for her life in hospital. How much more of this could they take? They needed her. Not just as Press Secretary but as a moral compass for the administration. Her wit, her kindness, and her compassion for others were a vital part of what they had built. He couldn't imagine working in the West Wing without her.

Abbey took a deep breath and stood. "I'm gonna go. I don't like to think of her there alone. And Toby will be going out of his mind with worry, I'm sure. I'll call as soon as I know any more Jed."

She left Leo and the President there, looking at each other, each with guilt ridden eyes. "This shouldn't happen Leo. Why does this keep happening?"

The only answer he got was silence.